11. Remember the Sea Dogs

On March 10, 2022, five sloop crews gathered around an anchored galleon. Without firing a shot, all ten pirates hopped onto the galleon and played "Becalmed" and other shanties for about 10 minutes until the Sea of Thieves servers shut down for an update... an update that would shut down their beloved Arena. One of those ten somber pirates was Jimi.

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of Arena's closure, so I thought it would be a good topic for this week's blog entry.

Ye Olde Sea Dog, a sloop captained by Jimi, proudly carries on the Sea Dog legacy. 

1. Why did Rare close Arena?

Arena was a PVP-focused mode in Sea of Thieves that pitted five crews against each other in a small area of the map. Competing crews earned silver by landing cannon balls on other ships, killing other pirates, and collecting special Sea Dog chests. They lost silver by sinking. The crew with the most silver at the end of the timed match would win.

The Arena was operated by a trading company called the Sea Dogs. Players could earn reputation and complete commendations with this faction by competing in the Arena.

By early 2022, however, only a tiny percent of players spent time in Arena. Since players were spending 2% of their time in Arena, Rare made the decision to close it down so that they could devote resources to Adventure mode. Arena had a dedicated group of fans, so it was an unfortunate decision, but at the same time understandable.

A sad day! The Glorious Sea Dog Tavern closed its doors on March 10, 2022.

2. What happened to the Sea Dogs Trading Company?

In the storyline, DeMarco, one of the founders of the Sea Dogs, unilaterally disbands the trading company (and thus Arena). But is the Sea Dogs trading company really gone for good?

There are three people who might try to reorganize the faction in the future: DeMarco, Lesedi, and Amaranta. DeMarco and Lesedi, both children of the Pirate Lord himself, were the founders of the Sea Dogs. Amaranta was their second-in-command. Since Arena closed and the Sea Dogs were formally disbanded, the leadership triangle of the Sea Dogs has scattered.

1. DeMarco - Shortly after the closure of Arena, DeMarco was murdered by the Siren Queen, but he never returned (as pirates usually do on the Sea of Thieves). If and when he returns, will he revive the Sea Dogs?
   
   
2. Lesedi - Lesedi is searching for her brother's lost soul, which is presumably trapped somewhere in the Sea of the Damned. Will she rally the Sea Dogs to rescue DeMarco?
   
   
3. Amaranta - In Adventure 5, "The Forsaken Hunter," we learned that a Sea Dog named Amaranta had joined the Dark Brethren. In Adventure 6, "The Hunter's Cry," we traveled to a twisted version of the Glorious Sea Dog Tavern in the Sea of the Damned. This was probably created by Amaranta's imagination.
   
   Before the Sea Dogs were disbanded, Amaranta often talked about how she wanted to lead the Sea Dogs. Ever the disgruntled employee, Amaranta (who prized strength above all else) made it clear that her ideal for the trading company was very different from that of DeMarco and Lesedi (who valued sportsmanship). Will Amaranta try to reorganize the Sea Dogs in her own vision?

All three of these characters, along with Pendragon, are now in the Sea of the Damned. They are central figures in adventures and mysteries. It seems certain that the Sea Dogs' story is not over yet.

One year later, DeMarco's skeleton still lies undisturbed on Sea Dog's Rest.

3. The Future of the Sea Dogs

Personally, I would have liked to see Arena transformed into a time-limited event that occurs once per season, similar to a Gold & Glory weekend or Community Day.

Some of Jimi's most exciting Arena experiences took place during the final six weeks of Arena. Pirates who had ignored Arena for years were suddenly interested, and every day friends were asking me to set up an Arena galleon. Rare had pronounced Arena dead, but it went out kicking and screaming.

I think this proved that Arena could have worked as a time-limited mode with exclusive cosmetics. But I think that ship has sailed (pun intended), and ultimately I think Rare is right that corralling everyone into a single Adventure mode that integrates PVP and PVE is probably best for the game anyway.

Last year, Captain Falcore proposed that the Sea Dogs reorganize as a PVP-focused Adventure mode trading company. Win or lose, engaging in PVP would earn you silver, a new currency that could be used to purchase special cosmetics in game. Flying the Sea Dogs emissary flag would show your location on the map (like Reapers) and give you bonus silver (instead of gold). I thought this was an excellent idea!

In this video, Captain Falcore proposes that the Sea Dogs reorganize as a PVP-focused Adventure mode trading company.

However, Rare seems to have gone a different route, and Season 8's Hourglass PVP has replaced Arena as the go-to for on-demand PVP within Adventure.

That said, Arena PVP offered something that Season 8 Hourglass PVP does not. While Arena gave us chaotic battles involving five ships, Hourglass PVP encounters are currently duels between two ships. Perhaps in the future, Rare could mix things up by occasionally throwing us into battles with more than one rival ship.

In theory, 2 vs 2 team battles between the Guardians and Servant PVP factions are one way that this might be accomplished. But in practice this would be difficult. After all, Rare has already been forced to allow intra-faction battles to speed up the lobby wait time! Instead, I would like to see three or four ships competing against each other. This would require two new PVP factions to be added to the game. I propose the Dark Brethren and the Sea Dogs.

Could the Sea Dogs return as a future hourglass PVP faction?

The Dark Brethren are already at odds with the Athena's Fortune and Reaper's Bones factions, so they are an obvious choice for a third PVP faction. The Sea Dogs, on the other hand, are led by DeMarco, son of the Pirate Lord himself. Wouldn't they be aligned with DeMarco's father's faction, the Guardians of Fortune?

Well, after the Arena closed down, DeMarco's father had appointed him as an envoy to make peace with the sirens, but DeMarco thought it was a fool's errand, and tried to flee the Sea of Thieves instead, leading to his murder and disappearance. Since DeMarco's death is rooted in a disagreement with his father the Pirate Lord, I don't think it is a stretch of the imagination for him to be leading a faction that battles with his father's.

If the Sea Dogs do return as an Hourglass/PVP-focused trading company, it would be a nice touch if Rare gives them SILVER as a reward for winning battles instead of faction allegiance. Silver was the original currency of the Sea Dogs, so it would be a nice nod to their past. Rather than simply levelling up, Sea Dogs would collect and spend silver on rewards, as suggested by Captain Falcore. Their headquarters (and shopping center) would of course be at the Sea Dogs Tavern at K-11... Maybe they can finally mark it on our maps. 😊

Perhaps one day, the Sea Dogs Trading Company will make a formal appearance in Adventure mode. Until then, Jimi represents the faction by flying the Good Boy flag, as pictured here.

4. A Secret Society

Finally, I'd like to talk about what happened to the rank-and-file Sea Dogs — those pirates who used to compete in Arena. Some went down with the ship when Arena closed, but many of us are still sailing the Sea of Thieves, now in Adventure mode. You can often identify a Sea Dog by unique cosmetics, titles, or ship parts that were only available while Arena was active.

Jimi's favorite title is "Sailor of Silvered Waters," which he earned after completing 200 matches in Arena. He likes that it is relatively low-key but also identifies him as one of the old Sea Dogs.

On January 27, 2022, Rare announced that Arena would be shut down in six weeks. During the following 42 days, Arena became extremely active. Players who had for years actively disliked Arena suddenly wanted to experience it and try to get their hands on a few soon-to-be-unobtainable Arena clothes, weapons, and ship parts.

But there is one cosmetic that these newcomers would never get their hands on: the Good Boy ship set. This was a gift to players who were Rank 50 with the Sea Dogs faction before the announcement of Arena's closure on January 27, 2022.

The Good Boy ship set parked in front of the Sea Dogs Tavern.

Every once in a while, I encounter a fellow Sea Dog on the seas. We identify each other by some cosmetic or title, and we usually stop and chat about "the good old days" (the times before Arena closed, of course!) before we continue shooting each other.

It is wonderful to see the camaraderie continue even a year after Arena's closure. The Arena may be shut down and the Sea Dog leadership in shambles, but the Sea Dog faction lives on as an informal secret society of pirates still roaming the Sea of Thieves in search of thrilling adventures and battles.

After all... Glory Awaits!